This is a record of my journey as a Muslim. I used to be Catholic and belonged to a missionary organisation. After my conversion, I sat on the board of a Muslim converts' organisation and specialised in da'wah programmes, convert management, interfaith issues and apostasy cases. I am an initiate of a Sufi order. As such, the articles and writings tend to cover these areas.
All the Arabic and graphics could not have been done without the help of my wife, Zafirah.

Monday, 26 October 2009

Imam Ahmad al-Faruqi as-Sirhindi (q.s.)

He
was the Pearl of the Crown of the Knowledgeable Saints. He was the Treasure of Those who Came Before
and of Those who Came After. In him were
combined all their favours and generosity.
He was the Sinai of Divine Manifestation, the Furthermost Lote Tree of
the Unique Knowledge, and the Fountain of the Hidden Prophetic Knowledge. He was the Genius of Scholars and he was the
Sultan of the Earth, which smiled when he was born and was honoured by his
existence. He was the perfect Perfected
Guide. He was the Caller to Allah’s (s.w.t.) presence, the One Quthb and the Unique Heavenly Imam.
He was the Reviver of the Second Millennium. Sayyidina
wa Mawlana, our Leader and Master.
Imam Ahmad al-Faruqi as-Sirhindi (q.s.),
ibn Imam ‘Abd al-Ahad (q.s.), ibn
Zayn al-‘Abidin (q.s.), ibn ‘Abd
al-Hayy (r.a.), ibn Muhammad (r.a.), ibn Habibullah (r.a.), ibn Rafi’ ad-Din (r.a.), ibn Nur (r.a.), ibn Sulayman (r.a.),
ibn Yusuf (r.a.), ibn ‘Abdullah (r.a.), ibn Ishaq (r.a.), ibn ‘Abdullah (r.a.),
ibn Shu’ayb (r.a.), ibn ‘Aad (r.a.), ibn Yusuf (r.a.), ibn Shihab ad-Din (q.s.),
known as Farq Shah al-Qabidi, ibn Na’ir ad-Din (r.a.), ibn Mahmud (r.a.),
ibn Sulayman (r.a.), ibn Mas’ud (r.a.), ibn ‘Abdullah al-Wa’i al-Aswghari
(r.a.), ibn ‘Abdullah al-Wa’i
al-Akbar (r.a.), ibn Abd al-Fattah (r.a.), ibn Ishaq (r.a.), ibn Ibrahim (r.a.),
ibn Nair (r.a.), ibn ‘Abdullah (r.a.), the son of Amir al-Mu'minin, the khalif
of the Prophet (s.a.w.), ‘Umar
al-Faruq (r.a.).

He
was born on the day of 'Ashura, the
10th of Muharram in the year 971 AH, in the village of Sihar
Nidbasin. In some translations, it is
called Sirhind, in the city of Lahore, in the Indian subcontinent. He received his knowledge and education
through his father and through many shuyukh
in his time. He made progress in three thuruq: Suhrawardiyyah, Qadiriyyah,
and Jistiyyah. He was given permission to train followers in
all three thuruq at the age of 17
years. He was busy in spreading the
teachings of these thuruq and in
guiding his followers, yet he felt that something was missing in himself and he
was continuously searching for it. He
felt an interest in the Naqshbandiyyah.
His spiritual progress eventually
brought him to the presence of the ghawts
and quthb of his time, Shaykh
Muhammad al-Baqi’ (q.s.), who had
been sent from Samarqand to India by the order of his shaykh, Khwaja Muhammad al-Amkanaki (q.s.). He took the
Naqshbandi Order from the shaykh and
stayed with him for two months and some days, until Shaykh Muhammad al-Baqi’ (q.s.) opened to his heart the secret of
this thariqa’ and gave him authorisation
to train his muridun in the Order. He said about him, “He is the highest quthb in this time.”

The
Prophet (s.a.w.) predicted his advent
in one of his hadits when he said, “There
will be among my ummah, a man called ‘Swilah’.
By his intercession many people will be
saved.” It was mentioned in the
collection of Imam as-Suyuthi (q.s.).

What
confirmed the truth of this hadits is
what Imam Rabbani (q.s.) wrote about
himself: “Allah has Made me the swilah
between the two Oceans.” “Swilah
means “connection”. So, he meant that Allah (s.w.t.) had Made him a connection between the two oceans, the two types
of knowledge, external and internal.

Shaykh
Mir Husam ad-Din (q.s.) said, “I saw
the Prophet (s.a.w.) in one of my
dreams standing on the minbar and
praising Imam Ahmad as-Sirhindi. The
Prophet (s.a.w.) was saying, ‘I am
proud and happy with his presence among my ummah.
Allah has Made him a reviver of the
religion.’”

Many
saints predicted his advent. One of them
was Shaykh Ahmad al-Jami’ (q.s.). He said, “After me, will appear seventeen men
of the People of Allah, all of whom are named ‘Ahmad’ and the last one among them
will be at the head of the millennium. He
is going to be the highest of them and he is going to receive the state of
Unveiling. He is going to revive this
religion.”

Another
to predict his advent was Khwaja al-Amkanaki (q.s.). He said to his khalif, “A man from India is going to
appear. He will be the imam of his century. He will be trained by you, so hurry to meet
him, because the people of Allah are awaiting his arrival.”

Shaykh
Muhammad al-Baqi’ (q.s.) said, “That
is why I moved from Bukhara to India.” When
they met, he told him, “You are the one whose appearance the shaykh, Khwaja Muhammad al-Amkanaki
predicted. When I saw you, I knew you
were the quthb of your time. When I entered the region of Sirhind in India,
I found a lamp which was so big and so bright that its light reached up to the
heavens. Everyone took from that lamp’s
light. You are that lamp.”

It
is said that the shaykh of his
father, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Ahad (q.s.),
who was a shaykh of the Qadiri Order,
had been given a jubbah from his shaykh which had been passed down from
the Ghawts al-A’azham, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir
al-Jilani (q.s.). Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir (q.s.) had said about it to his successors, “Keep it for that one
who is going to appear at the end of the first millennium. His name is Ahmad. He is going to revive this religion. I have dressed him with all my secrets. He combines in himself both the internal and
external knowledge.”

Imam Ahmad al-Faruqi (q.s.) said, “Let it
be known to you that the Heavenly Guardians attracted me because they wanted me
to be attracted, and they facilitated for me the passage through time and space
in the different states of the seeker. I
found that Allah is the Essence of all matter, as it had been said by the people
of taswawwuf. Then I found Allah in all matter without
incarnation. Then I found Allah together
with all matter. Then I saw Him Ahead of
everything and then I saw Him Following everything. Finally, I reached a state where I saw Him and
I saw nothing else. This is what is
meant by the term, ‘witnessing the Oneness,’ which is also the state of fana’. That is the first step in wilayat, and the highest state in the Beginning of the Way. This vision appears first on the horizons, then
secondly in the self. Then I have been
lifted to the station of baqa’ which
is the second step in wilayat.

This
is a station which many saints did not speak about because they did not reach
it. All of them speak about the station
of fana’, but following that state is
baqa’. In that state, I found all Creation another
time, but I found that the essence of all Creation is Allah, and Allah’s
Essence is the Essence of Myself. Then I
found Allah in everything, but, in reality, in myself. I was Raised to a higher state, to find Allah
with everything, but, in reality, He was with myself. Then I was Lifted to see Him preceding
everything, but, in reality, He was preceding myself. Then I was Lifted to a state where He was
following everything, but, in reality, He was following myself. Then I saw Him in everything, but, in reality, He was in myself. Then I saw everything
and I did not see Allah. And this is the
end of the stations by which they had brought me back to the beginning. In sum, they lifted me to the station of fana’, then to the station of baqa’, then they brought me back to be
with people, in the station of the common people. This is the highest state in guiding people to
the Divine Presence. It is the perfect
state of guidance, because it matches the understanding of human beings.”

He
also said, “I accompanied today one who has reached the End of Ends, the Quthb of all Creatures, the Perfect Man,
Shaykh Muhammad al-Baqi. Through him I
received incredible Blessings, and by his blessing I was granted a power of
attraction that allowed me to reach every human being that Allah had Created. I was honoured to attain a station that
combines the state of the Ending with the state of the Beginning. I achieved all the states of Seeking and I
reached the Ending, which is the meaning of ‘Reaching the Name of ar-Rabb’, by
the support of Asadullah, ‘Ali ibn Abi Thalib (k.w.). I was Raised up to
the state of the ‘Arsh, which is the haqiqat of Muhammad (s.a.w.), by the support of Shah Baha’ ad-Din
an-Naqshband. Then I was Lifted even
higher, to the state of Jamal, which
is the state of the Haqiqah of the
Muhammadan aqthab, by the madad of the Prophetic Holy Spirit.

I
was supported by Shaykh Ala’ ad-Din al-Aththar, from whom I received the states
of the greatest spiritual poles from the presence of Muhammad (s.a.w.). Then Allah’s Divine Care attracted me and I
ascended to a state that is beyond that of the aqthab, the special original state. Here, the support of al-Ghawts al-A’azham, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani (q.s.) pushed me up to the state of the origin
of origins. Then I was ordered to come
back down, and as I was descending, I passed by all thirty-nine thuruq other than the Naqshbandiyyah and the Qadiriyyah. I looked at the states of their shuyukh and they greeted me and saluted
me and they threw on me all their treasures and all their private knowledge,
which unveiled to me realities which had never been unveiled to any person in
my time. Then on my descent I met Khidhr
(a.s.), and he adorned me with the Divine
Knowledge before I reached the state of the aqthab.”

Imam Ahmad al-Faruqi (q.s.) explained,
“Abu Dawud said in a swahihhadits that the Prophet (s.a.w.) said, ‘Allah will Send at the
beginning of every century someone by whom the religion will be revived,’ but
there is a difference between the Reviver of the Century and the Reviver of the
Millennium. It is like the difference
between one hundred and one thousand.”

He
also revealed, “In a vision, the Prophet (s.a.w.)
gave me good tidings: ‘You are going to be a spiritual inheritor and Allah is
going to Give you the authority to intercede on behalf of hundreds of thousands
on the Day of Judgment.’ He bestowed on
me with his holy hand the authority to guide people, and he said to me, ‘Never
before have I given that authority to guide people.’”

He
said, “The knowledge that is emerging from me is coming from the state of wilayat, but I am receiving it from the Nur of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.). Saints are unable to bring forth such
knowledge, because it is beyond the knowledge of saints. It is the knowledge of the essence of this religion
and the essence of the knowledge of Allah's Essence and Attributes. No one before has spoken about it and Allah
has Granted me to be the one to revive the religion in its second millennium.”

He
said, “Allah Unveiled to me the secrets of the Unique Oneness and He Poured
into my heart all kinds of spiritual knowledge and its refinement. He Unveiled to me the secrets of the ayat of Qur'an so that I found beneath
every letter of the Qur'an an ocean of knowledge all pointing to the High
Essence of Allah Almighty and Exalted. If
I were to reveal one word of the meaning of it they would cut off my head, as
they did to ibn al-Hallaj and to ibn 'Arabi. This
is the meaning of the hadits of the
Prophet (s.a.w.), in al-Bukhari,
narrated by Abu Hurayrah (r.a.), ‘The
Prophet (s.a.w.) poured into my heart
two kinds of knowledge, one of which I have revealed and another which if I
were to reveal they would cut my throat.’”

He
said, “Allah, Almighty and Exalted, has Shown me all the names of those who are
entering our thariqa’, from the day
of Sayyidina Abu Bakr (r.a.) to the
Day of Judgment, both men and women, and all of them are going to enter
Paradise, with the intercession of the shuyukh
of the thariqa’.” And he added, “al-Mahdi will be one of the
followers of this thariqa’.”

On
his intercession, he said, “One day I was in swuhbah with my followers doing dzikr
and it came to my heart that I had done something wrong. Then Allah Opened to my eyes, ‘I have Forgiven
anyone who sits with you and anyone asking intercession by means of you.’” He also said, “Allah Almighty and Exalted
Said to me, ‘Anyone for whom you pray janazah
will be Forgiven, and if anyone mixes earth from your grave with the earth of
their grave, they will be Forgiven.’”

On
his Creation, he said, “Allah has Created me from the residue of His Prophet (s.a.w.).” He also said, “The Ka’bah was always coming
and making tawaf around me.”

He
said, “Allah Said, ‘I have Given you special gifts and perfections which no one
will receive other than you until the time of the Mahdi.’” He also said, “Allah
Gave me an incredible power of guidance. Even if I direct my guidance to a dead tree,
it will become green.”

One
great shaykh wrote to him asking, “The
states that you reached and you are speaking about, did the swahabah receive them, and if they did,
did they receive them at one time or did they receive them at separate times?”

He
answered, “I cannot give you an answer unless you come into my presence.”

When
the shaykh came, Imam Ahmad
al-Faruqi (q.s.) immediately unveiled
to him his spiritual reality and cleaned the darkness of his heart until the shaykh fell prostrate at his feet and
said, “I believe, I believe! I see now
that these states were all revealed to the swahabah
simply by looking at the Messenger (s.a.w.).”

One
time, in Ramadhan, he was invited by ten of his muridun to break fast with them. He accepted the invitation of each of them. When it came time to break the fast, he was
present at each of their houses, breaking the fast, and they saw him in each of
their houses at the same time.

One
time he looked at the sky and it was raining. He said, “O rain stop until such and such
hour.” It stopped until the exact time
he had said, after which it started raining again.

One
time, the ruler ordered that a man be executed. That man came to Imam Ahmad al-Faruqi (q.s.) and said, “Please write a stay of
execution for me.”

He
wrote to the ruler, “Do not execute this man.” The ruler was afraid of Imam Ahmad al-Faruqi
(q.s.) and pardoned the man.

He
was so famous that the scholars of external knowledge in his time became
jealous of him. They went to the ruler
and told him, “He is saying things that are not accepted in the religion.” They pushed the ruler until he put him in
jail. He stayed in jail for three years.

His son, Shaykh Sayyid (q.s.), said, “He was under very intense
security in jail. Guards surrounded his
room on every side. Yet every Friday, he
would be seen in the big mosque. No
matter how much security he was under, he would disappear from prison and
appear in the mosque.” From this, they
knew they could not put him behind bars and, therefore, they released him.

He
wrote many books. One of the most famous
is the Maktubat. In it he said, “It must be known that Allah
has Placed us under His Obligations and His Prohibitions. Allah Said:

… So, take what the Messenger assigns to you, and
deny yourselves that which he withholds from you ... (Surah al-Hashr:7)

If
we are going to be sincere in this, we have to attain fana’ and the love of the Essence. Without these we cannot reach this degree of
obedience. Thus, we are under another
obligation, which is to seek the path of taswawwuf,
because this Way will lead us to the state of fana’ and the love of the Essence. Each thariqa’
differs from the other in its states of perfection; so too does each thariqa’ keep the sunnah of the Prophet (s.a.w.)
and have its own definition of what that entails. Every thariqa’
has its own way of keeping the sunnah
of the Prophet (s.a.w.). Our thariqa’,
through its shuyukh, requires us to
keep all the commands of the Prophet (s.a.w.)
and to leave all the things he prohibited. Our shuyukh
do not follow the easy ways but insist on keeping the difficult ways. In all their seeking, they keep in mind the
verse of Qur'an:

By men whom neither traffic nor merchandise can
divert from the remembrance of Allah … (Surah an-Nur:37)”

On
the Path, Imam Ahmad al-Faruqi (q.s.)
said, “In the journey leading to the unveiling of the Divine Realities, the
seeker moves through various stages of knowledge of and proximity to His Lord. Moving to Allah is a vertical movement from
the lower stations to the higher stations; until the movement surpasses time
and space and all the states dissolve into what is called ‘ilm al-wajib of Allah. This
is also called fana’. Moving in Allah is the stage in which the
seeker moves from the station of Names and Attributes to a state which neither
word nor sign can describe. This is the state
of existence in Allah called baqa’. Moving from Allah is the stage in which the
seeker returns from the Divine realm to the world of cause and effect,
descending from the highest station of knowledge to the lowest. Here, he forgets Allah by Allah, and he knows
Allah with Allah, and he returns from Allah to Allah. This is called the state of the farthest and
the nearest. Moving in things is a
movement within Creation. This involves
knowing intimately all elements and states in this world after having vanished
in fana’. Here, the seeker can achieve the state of guidance,
which is the state of the prophets and the people following the footsteps of
the Prophet (s.a.w.). It brings the Divine Knowledge into the world
of Creation in order to establish guidance.

The
entire process is like threading a needle. The thread seeks the eye of the needle, passes
through and then proceeds down to where it began. There the two ends meet, form a knot and
secure the entire thread. They form a
whole, thread, eye and needle, and any material they catch is sewn into the
fabric of the unity. It must be known to
everyone that the Naqshbandi shuyukh
chose to guide their muridun first
through the movement from Allah, travelling from the higher states to the
lower. For this reason, they maintain
the common veils over the spiritual vision of the murid, removing the veil of ordinary consciousness only at the
final step. All other thuruq begin with the movement to Allah,
moving from the lowest states to the highest, and removing the common veils
first.”

On
prophetic inheritance, he said, “It is mentioned in the hadits of the Prophet (s.a.w.),
‘Scholars are the inheritors of the prophets.’ The knowledge of prophets is of two kinds:
knowledge of laws and knowledge of secrets. The scholar cannot be called an inheritor if
he does not inherit both types of knowledge. If he takes only one type of knowledge, he is
incomplete. Thus, the real inheritors are
the ones who take the knowledge of the laws and the knowledge of the secrets,
and only the saints have truly received and protected this inheritance.”

He
left behind him many more books. He passed
away on the 17th of Swafar 1034 AH, at the age of 63. He was buried in the village of Sirhind. He was a shaykh
in four thuruq: Naqshbandi, Qadiri, Jisti
and Suhrawardi. He preferred the
Naqshbandi, because he said, “It is the mother of all thuruq.” He passed the
secret of the Naqshbandi thariqa’ to Shaykh
Muhammad al-Ma’sum (q.s.).

4 comments:

I agree, from the onset I really think the webpage of Darul itself needs a major overhaul. Technology now is simple and very easy to leverage, I too agree with some points that you point out in leveraging wikis, blogs, online videos, etc.

I really want to see this as part of the Youth group one day actually. Anyway, if you think you need some help on the tech front, just drop me a note. I shall try to help.